It took awhile for the U.S. U17 WNT team to get going against Gambia, but eventually the offense put its best foot forward as the team won 6-0 to get the first win of the U17 Women’s World Cup out of the way. Here are the player ratings from the win, on a scale of 1-10, (with 10 being perfect and 6 being average).

U.S. U17 WNT Player Ratings vs. Gambia

GK Jane Campbell, 7 – Saw more action than she probably expected in her first half of work, but more concerning here is the injury that forced her substitution at the halftime break. Any injury could be a huge loss for the United States.

D Morgan Reid, 6 – The right back kept things comfortable and quiet down her flank, and managed to get forward a little bit to add to the attack.

D Elizabeth Raben, 6 – After the shaky first half that saw the defense struggle and turn the ball over, Raben helped keep things steady at the back.

D Madeline Bauer, 6 – Donning the captain’s armband for the day, Bauer was her usual solid self in central defense.

D Brittany Basinger, 7 – The left back was outstanding once again, getting forward often to join the attack and crucially won the first half penalty to provide some relief as the U.S. struggled to find its feet in the early goings.

MF Andi Sullivan, 6 – Shielded the back line well from her defensive midfield spot, and displayed her excellent technical ability in tight spaces. Also hit the bar in the second half with a great shot from distance, almost finding the back of the net.

MF Morgan Stanton, 6 – Offered an industrious option in the midfield, and once the U.S. settled into the game got forward and chipped in to the attacking, hitting the bar in the second half and eventually finding the back of the net.

MF Toni Payne, 6 – After failing to get going in the first half, Payne found her stride somewhat after the break, getting her name on the score sheet in the process.

F Summer Green, 7 – Depending on who you ask, Green either scored a hat trick or two goals, depending on how generous the official FIFA scorer feels on the day – one could be seen as a definite own goal.

F Darian Jenkins, 8 – While she didn’t have a great first half – like most of the team – Jenkins was probably the best U.S. offensive player on the field on the day, tearing down the left flank with ease, setting up goals for Munerlyn and Green’s third of the day.

F Amber Munerlyn, 6 – Bagged an important second goal right after halftime to get the U.S. started off in the right direction after laboring through the first half.

Substitutes

GK Carissa Miller, 6 – She played 45 minutes after coming on for Campbell, and it’s tempting to not even hand out a rating for Miller, who had very little to do, save for a couple of easy saves with the game well out of reach.

F Emily Bruder, 7 – Came in and looked dangerous down one of the flanks, demonstrating her lethal speed and physical ability, though she lacked a bit of sharpness in front of goal.

MF Lauren Kaskie, 7 – Only played eight minutes, but made a great play to set up a goal for Morgan Stanton.

Postgame observations:

It was a very poor start for the U.S. in the first half, as the offense struggled to combine with each other and looking to make things happen individually. Albertin Montoya pushed the right buttons at half time and the U.S. hit Gambia for five goals to put this one out of reach.

However, there are a couple of causes for concern. Jane Campbell had to leave the game with an injury, and her availability for the deciding match against NorthKorea (or Miller’s ability to step up) is going to be crucial, as the U.S. must win that game in order to win and advance in the group. A draw would leave things down to goal differential, and a loss would send them home packing, barring a miraculous result from this Gambian side.

The U17 WNT must put in their best performance of this tournament on Saturday, or face elimination.